Annual Christmas meal fills hearts, stomachs

By GARY GLANCYTimes-News Staff Writer

Monday

Dec 26, 2011 at 12:01 AM

The annual Christmas Day meal provides a warm escape from the hardships life has thrown at many.

Martin Osteen had been outside since 5 a.m. Sunday helping to cook brisket, turkey and ham for the annual Bounty of Bethlehem, but it was joy rather than fatigue that consumed the first-time volunteer when the doors of Immaculata Catholic School opened at 1 p.m.By that time, volunteers had already begun their routes across Henderson County, delivering more than 1,400 to-go meals so that those who were unable to attend the actual event — because of age, physical disability or lack of transportation — still had the opportunity to enjoy a hearty Christmas Day meal.“Now that's a reason to do this,” Osteen said with a big smile, “isn't it?”He decided to get involved this year to help out his friend, Ron Dellinger, who once again used his mobile cooker — the “charity cooker,” Osteen calls it, for the event.“It's just one of those good things I feel like I need to do because it helps the community,” said Dellinger, who donates the cooker, and his time, for other community events. “It's a blessing to do it.”He's certainly not alone. About 600 volunteers — young and old — and a year's worth of planning, fundraising and old-fashioned labor make the Bounty of Bethlehem possible, and this year was no different.“Bounty of Bethlehem is driven by community spirit,” event Chairman Randy Hair said.A hot, filling meal, live music, a visit from Santa, toys for kids, free clothes ... and lots of smiling faces. It's all what makes the Bounty such a special event, and for many provides a warm escape from the hardships life has thrown at them, if only for a day.“They may or may not know the person who's serving them or sitting right across from them,” Hair said, “but hopefully by the end of the dinner they do, and that's the biggest part of what we're trying to do is build community and make connections with people.”To actually pull it off, though, all hands are needed on deck.Take Angi Padilla, for example. Padilla, her six children and some of their friends spent four full days in two- and four-hour shifts gift-wrapping the 400-plus toys, working until 1:30 a.m. Sunday before heading back to the church four and a half hours later.Thanks to another volunteer, Joe Wroble, this year the school gymnasium included a special platform, separate from the music stage, for Santa Claus and all his gifts. Wroble spent two and a half hours one day last week constructing the stage, which can be taken apart by screws and used again next year.Hair said there were many personnel changes this year, resulting in several new people working in various capacities whom Hair said worked “very hard and just did a phenomenal job.” They included people like Jory Wilke and Michelle Becher and Becher's six children, who took charge of the decorating that Hair called some of the best he's seen in his 10 years with the event.“The biggest thing this year is we have seen a lot more involvement since we opened up activities for families and children, and that is one thing that we've always wanted to really build,” Hair said. “Parents want their children to have that kind of experience of giving at Christmas time. That's a huge thing you have to fight with kids on — ‘I want, I want, I want' versus, ‘I want to give, I want to give, I want to give.' And I think this year a lot of kids have been able to see (the difference).”As for the food, volunteers also worked for days to prepare the meal.Bounty kitchen chef Bill Gollnick said his staff used money raised throughout the year to purchase 900 pounds of yams, 800 pounds of white potatoes, 600 pounds of green beans, 400 pounds of carrots and 200 pounds of fresh cranberries. Dellinger said Crystal's BBQ and Grill also chipped in by preparing about 300 pounds of brisket.And the massive effort drew a crowd. By 4:30 p.m. Sunday, organizers said about 800 meals had already been served at the church and there was still a line of people that stretched down the school hallway.After an 8-inch snowstorm on Christmas in 2010, “It took a while last year to see the people flow in,” Hair said, “but this year the response has been just absolutely huge. But we're prepared; we have lots of food.”

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